Bing Webmaster Tools

TL;DR — Bing Webmaster ToolsThe free, first-party consoles search engines give site owners — Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools — to see how their pages are crawled, indexed, and ranked, and to fix problems. The legacy name is 'webmaster tools.' is a free tool from Microsoft — basically Google Search ConsoleA free Google service that reports how a site performs in Google Search and surfaces problems with how Google crawls, indexes, and serves it. It's first-party data straight from Google — but you don't need it to appear in results., but for Bing. The easiest way to start: import the sites you’ve already verified in Search ConsoleGoogle's free tool for monitoring crawling, indexing, and search performance., and Bing verifies them for you automatically. The best reason to use it is IndexNowIndexNow is an open push protocol that lets you instantly tell participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep) which URLs you've added, changed, or removed via a simple HTTP request — and one submission is shared across all of them. Google does not use it. — you can tell Bing about new or changed pages instantly instead of waiting for it to crawl them.

What Bing Webmaster Tools is

Bing Webmaster ToolsMicrosoft's free portal for monitoring and improving how a site appears in Bing search — the peer to Google Search Console, plus IndexNow instant indexing, richer backlink data, and keyword volumes. Because Bing's index also feeds Microsoft Copilot, it doubles as a window into AI-search visibility. (BWT) is Microsoft’s free service for seeing and improving how your site does in Bing search. If you’ve used Google Search ConsoleA free Google service that reports how a site performs in Google Search and surfaces problems with how Google crawls, indexes, and serves it. It's first-party data straight from Google — but you don't need it to appear in results., you already know the shape of it: it shows the searches that foundA 302 (\"Found\") is a temporary redirect: it forwards users to a new URL while telling search engines the original URL should stay in the index. It's a weak canonicalization signal, not the zero-equity dead end of SEO folklore. your pages, how many people clicked, which pages Bing has indexedStoring a crawled page in the search index so it can appear in results. Crawled is not the same as indexed — Google selects what to keep, and indexing isn't guaranteed., and any problems Bing ran into.

The easy way to set it up

You don’t have to re-verify your site from scratch. If your site is already in Google Search Console, you can import it straight into Bing — Microsoft says the “imported sites will be automatically verified, eliminating the need for manual site verification steps.” A couple of clicks and you’re done.

Why bother if most of my traffic is Google?

Fair question. Three quick reasons:

1. Instant indexingStoring a crawled page in the search index so it can appear in results. Crawled is not the same as indexed — Google selects what to keep, and indexing isn't guaranteed. (IndexNowIndexNow is an open push protocol that lets you instantly tell participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep) which URLs you've added, changed, or removed via a simple HTTP request — and one submission is shared across all of them. Google does not use it.). You can push new and changed pages to Bing right away instead of waiting for a crawl. Google has no equivalent.
2. Better backlink data. Bing shows you more links than Search Console does — and even lets you compare against competitors.
3. Keyword ideas with real search volumes. Search Console has nothing like it.

There’s also a bigger-picture reason: Bing’s search index feeds Microsoft Copilot, so being indexed and ranking in Bing increasingly matters for AI answers too.

What to remember

Submitting a URL — to Bing or via IndexNow — only helps Bing find it faster. It does not make you rank better, and it doesn’t guarantee the page gets indexed.

TL;DR — BWT is Microsoft’s free Search ConsoleA free Google service that reports how a site performs in Google Search and surfaces problems with how Google crawls, indexes, and serves it. It's first-party data straight from Google — but you don't need it to appear in results. peer, and you can one-click import your verified GSC properties (auto-verified, up to 100 at a time). The reason a Google-first SEO adds it is four features GSC simply doesn’t have: IndexNowIndexNow is an open push protocol that lets you instantly tell participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep) which URLs you've added, changed, or removed via a simple HTTP request — and one submission is shared across all of them. Google does not use it. + adaptive URL submission (a ceiling of up to 10,000 URLs/day, tied to your site’s age and impressions), a backlinks report generous enough to compare competitors, keyword research with real search volumes, and AI-search reach because Bing’s indexStoring a crawled page in the search index so it can appear in results. Crawled is not the same as indexed — Google selects what to keep, and indexing isn't guaranteed. feeds Copilot. The honest caveats: 10,000/day is a ceiling, not a grant, and instant submission speeds discovery, not ranking — and never guarantees indexingStoring a crawled page in the search index so it can appear in results. Crawled is not the same as indexed — Google selects what to keep, and indexing isn't guaranteed..

What it is, and the framing I use

Bing Webmaster ToolsThe free, first-party consoles search engines give site owners — Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools — to see how their pages are crawled, indexed, and ranked, and to fix problems. The legacy name is 'webmaster tools.' is Microsoft’s free equivalent of Google Search ConsoleA free Google service that reports how a site performs in Google Search and surfaces problems with how Google crawls, indexes, and serves it. It's first-party data straight from Google — but you don't need it to appear in results. for Bing. Same job — monitor performance, check indexing, fix crawl problemsCrawlability is how well search engine crawlers can discover, access, and fetch a site's pages. A crawlability issue is any technical condition — blocked access, broken links, server failures, or bloated URL inventory — that stops pages from reaching the index. — just on Microsoft’s side of the web. The mistake most guides make is treating it as a classic-SEO afterthought and listing features. I’d frame it differently: BWT earns its place in the stack on four specific things Search ConsoleGoogle's free tool for monitoring crawling, indexing, and search performance. can’t do, plus its growing relevance to AI searchAI search uses large language models and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) to synthesize an answer from multiple sources rather than returning a ranked list of links. Examples include Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT Search, and Perplexity.. Everything else is parity with GSC.

Setup: import from Search Console first

The single biggest setup shortcut is the GSC import. Microsoft is explicit that the “imported sites will be automatically verified, eliminating the need for manual site verification steps,” and the flow is just “Sign-in with your Google Search Console account and click Allow to give Bing Webmaster ToolsMicrosoft's free portal for monitoring and improving how a site appears in Bing search — the peer to Google Search Console, plus IndexNow instant indexing, richer backlink data, and keyword volumes. Because Bing's index also feeds Microsoft Copilot, it doubles as a window into AI-search visibility. access to your list of verified sites and sitemapsA sitemap is a file that lists the pages, images, videos, and other files on your site so search engines can discover them. It helps discovery, but submitting a sitemap doesn't guarantee crawling or indexing..” You can bring in up to 100 websites at once (the standard 1,000-sites-per-account limit still applies), and Microsoft notes it “might take up to 48 hours to get traffic data for the newly verified websites.” Only fall back to the manual methods (DNS record, XML file, or meta tag) if you can’t or won’t connect your Google account.

The four differentiators

1. IndexNowIndexNow is an open push protocol that lets you instantly tell participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep) which URLs you've added, changed, or removed via a simple HTTP request — and one submission is shared across all of them. Google does not use it. + adaptive URL submission — the headline feature. This is the real reason to add Bing. Bing’s “Adaptive URL submission feature… increases the daily quota by 1000x, allowing you to submit up to 10,000 URLs per day, with no monthly quotas.” That ceiling isn’t handed to everyone, though: the “daily quota per site will be determined based on the site verified age in Bing Webmaster tool, site impressions and other signals.” New or low-impression sites get less. Compare that to GSC’s “Request Indexing,” which is manual, one URL at a time, and rate-limited.

Layered on top is IndexNow, the open push protocol Bing co-created. Instead of waiting for a crawl, you ping the index when content changes — IndexNow lets sites “instantly notify search engines of new, changed, and deleted content,” which “accelerates indexing and reduces reliance on traditional crawl schedules.” And it’s not Bing-only: per IndexNow.org, your submission is “shared across all IndexNow-enabled search engines” (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, Yep), so one ping notifies all of them. I have skin in this game — I helped ship IndexNow support into Ahrefs’ Site Audit, so crawled pages can be submitted with a click. I cover the protocol itself in depth in my IndexNow write-up; here the point is just that BWT is where you turn it on and watch it.

The critical caveat: IndexNow and URL submission speed discovery and recrawl — not ranking — and IndexNow.org states plainly that submitting a URL “does not guarantee immediate indexing.” Treat it as additive to your sitemapsA sitemap is a file that lists the pages, images, videos, and other files on your site so search engines can discover them. It helps discovery, but submitting a sitemap doesn't guarantee crawling or indexing., not a magic ranking lever.

2. Backlinks — more data than GSC, plus competitor comparison. BWT’s backlinks report surfaces referring pages, referring domains, and anchor textAnchor text is the visible, clickable text of a hyperlink. It tells readers what they'll find on the other end and gives search engines context about the linked page., and it lets you compare your link profile against other domains. Search Console only ever shows links to your own verified property and won’t let you look at a competitor — so this is a genuinely unique free data source.

3. Keyword Research with real volumes. BWT has a keyword research tool with search volumes and Related / Question / Newly Discovered ideas. Search Console has no keyword-volume feature at all — its Performance reportThe Google Search Console report that shows how your site actually performed in Google Search, built from real impressions and clicks. It reports four metrics — clicks, impressions, average CTR, and average position — and keeps the most recent 16 months of data. only shows queries you already rank for.

4. AI-search reach. Bing’s index underpins Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Search, so being well-indexed and ranking in Bing has knock-on value for AI answer surfaces, not just the classic blue links. (Bing’s index has also historically powered third-party AI searchAI search uses large language models and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) to synthesize an answer from multiple sources rather than returning a ranked list of links. Examples include Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT Search, and Perplexity. experiences — worth confirming the current backend of any specific product before you bank on it.)

TIP Catch an IndexNow host mismatch before submission

IndexNow keys and submitted URLs are host-scoped. A different submitted host needs its own valid setup; a successful request still does not guarantee indexing.

Validate a small URL batch with my free IndexNow Submitter Free

1. Enter the verified site host and a small set of changed URLs.
2. Remove URLs on other hosts or configure and verify those hosts separately.
3. Submit the corrected batch, then monitor Bing Webmaster Tools for discovery and indexing.

Tap to enlarge

The result reports a host mismatch because one submitted URL uses other.example while the configured site is example.com.

The rest of the toolset (parity with GSC)

Beyond the four differentiators, BWT covers the familiar ground: Search Performance (clicks, impressions, CTR, average position for Bing), URL Inspection (single-URL index status and issues), Site Explorer and Index Explorer (browse your site structure and what Bing has indexed by folder), Sitemaps (submit and monitor), Crawl Control (tell bingbotBingbot is Microsoft Bing's primary web crawler — the bot that discovers, fetches, and renders pages to build the Bing index. That index also powers Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, and Microsoft Copilot, so Bingbot's reach is far wider than Bing's own search-market share. how fast and when to crawl), a Robots.txtA plain-text file at the root of a host that tells crawlers which URLs they may and may not request. It controls crawling, not indexing — a blocked URL can still be indexed if it's linked from elsewhere. Tester, SEO Reports / site scan (automated on-site checks by severity), a Markup Validator for structured dataStructured data is a standardized way of labeling page content (using the schema.org vocabulary in JSON-LD, Microdata, or RDFa) so search engines can understand its meaning. It's not a direct ranking factor — its value is rich results and entity understanding., Block URLs (the Bing analog to GSC’s Removals tool), and a Bing Webmaster Tools API for programmatic submission and quota checks.

The honest GSC-vs-BWT verdict

Google Search Console stays the authority for Google — the bigger market, and the first-party source for Google’s own data. You don’t replace it. What you add with Bing Webmaster Tools is the set of things GSC structurally can’t give you: instant multi-engine submission via IndexNow, competitor-grade backlink data, keyword volumes, and a read on AI-search visibility. Use it for those; don’t expect its Bing performance numbers to move your Google strategy.

Myths worth killing

• “IndexNow / Bing submission helps Google.” No — Google never adopted IndexNow. It’s Bing and its partner engines only.
• “Instant indexing makes you rank better.” No — it accelerates discovery and recrawl, not ranking, and doesn’t guarantee the page is kept.
• “Every site gets 10,000 URLs/day.” No — it’s an adaptive ceiling based on verified age, impressions, and other signals.
• “Bing is too small to bother with.” Its index feeds Copilot, and the backlink and keyword dataSearch volume, difficulty, and related queries for what people type into search engines. are useful no matter what Bing’s organic share is.
• “You have to verify Bing manually.” No — import your verified properties straight from Search Console, auto-verified.
• “Bing publishes fixed ranking-factor weights.” No — its official overview lists parameters in a general order, then says their relative importance varies by search and evolves over time. Any scale × impact weighting in an audit is the tool’s decision model, not Bing’s formula. Evidence for this claim Bing lists ranking parameters in a general order but says their relative importance can vary by search and evolve over time. Scope: Bing organic search ranking overview; no fixed weighting formula or transferable site-audit score is inferred. Confidence: high · Verified: 2026-07-19 Microsoft Bing: How Bing delivers search results
• “Buying Microsoft ads improves the blue links.” No — Bing says payment cannot improve organic ranking positions. It also says compensation on algorithmic Shopping results does not affect their ranking or relevance. Treat both as non-factors, not issues to audit or optimize around. Evidence for this claim Bing says paying for advertising cannot improve organic blue-link positions, and compensation associated with algorithmic shopping results does not affect their ranking or relevance. Scope: Bing organic blue links and algorithmic Shopping results; paid placements remain separately labeled advertising surfaces. Confidence: high · Verified: 2026-07-19 Microsoft Bing: How Bing delivers search results

AI summary

A condensed take on the Advanced version:

• BWT = Microsoft’s free Search ConsoleA free Google service that reports how a site performs in Google Search and surfaces problems with how Google crawls, indexes, and serves it. It's first-party data straight from Google — but you don't need it to appear in results. peer for Bing. Monitor performance, check indexingStoring a crawled page in the search index so it can appear in results. Crawled is not the same as indexed — Google selects what to keep, and indexing isn't guaranteed., fix crawl issuesCrawlability is how well search engine crawlers can discover, access, and fetch a site's pages. A crawlability issue is any technical condition — blocked access, broken links, server failures, or bloated URL inventory — that stops pages from reaching the index. — same job, Microsoft’s side of the web.
• Setup shortcut: import your verified Google Search ConsoleA free Google service that reports how a site performs in Google Search and surfaces problems with how Google crawls, indexes, and serves it. It's first-party data straight from Google — but you don't need it to appear in results. sites — auto-verified, up to 100 at once (data can take ~48 hours to populate).
• Four things GSC can’t do: (1) IndexNowIndexNow is an open push protocol that lets you instantly tell participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep) which URLs you've added, changed, or removed via a simple HTTP request — and one submission is shared across all of them. Google does not use it. + adaptive URL submission — push new, changed, and deleted pages instantly; ceiling of up to 10,000 URLs/day, set by site age and impressions; (2) backlinks report with competitor comparison; (3) keyword research with real search volumes; (4) AI-search reach — Bing’s index feeds Microsoft Copilot.
• IndexNowIndexNow is an open push protocol that lets you instantly tell participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep) which URLs you've added, changed, or removed via a simple HTTP request — and one submission is shared across all of them. Google does not use it. is multi-engine — one submission is shared across Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep — and Google does not use it.
• Caveats: 10,000/day is a ceiling, not a grant; submission speeds discovery, not ranking, and doesn’t guarantee indexingStoring a crawled page in the search index so it can appear in results. Crawled is not the same as indexed — Google selects what to keep, and indexing isn't guaranteed..
• Verdict: keep GSC as the Google authority; add BWT for the four features above — not just “more data is better.”

Official documentation

Primary-source documentation from Microsoft/Bing and the IndexNowIndexNow is an open push protocol that lets you instantly tell participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep) which URLs you've added, changed, or removed via a simple HTTP request — and one submission is shared across all of them. Google does not use it. project.

Get started

• Bing Webmaster Tools — About — the product overview and feature list.
• Import your sites from Google Search Console — the auto-verified import flow.
• How Bing delivers search results — Bing’s variable ranking-parameter importance and explicit separation of payment from organic blue-link and algorithmic Shopping ranking.

Instant indexingStoring a crawled page in the search index so it can appear in results. Crawled is not the same as indexed — Google selects what to keep, and indexing isn't guaranteed.

• Submit up to 10,000 URLs per day (Adaptive URL submission) — the daily quota and how it’s determined.
• IndexNow — get started — how to enable the push protocol.
• IndexNow FAQ — multi-engine sharing and the “no guaranteed indexingStoring a crawled page in the search index so it can appear in results. Crawled is not the same as indexed — Google selects what to keep, and indexing isn't guaranteed.” note.
• IndexNow drives smarter, faster discovery (2025) — Bing’s framing of what IndexNowIndexNow is an open push protocol that lets you instantly tell participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep) which URLs you've added, changed, or removed via a simple HTTP request — and one submission is shared across all of them. Google does not use it. does.

API

Quotes from the source

On-the-record statements from Microsoft/Bing and IndexNowIndexNow is an open push protocol that lets you instantly tell participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep) which URLs you've added, changed, or removed via a simple HTTP request — and one submission is shared across all of them. Google does not use it..org. Each link is a deep link that jumps to the quoted passage on the source page.

Importing from Google Search ConsoleA free Google service that reports how a site performs in Google Search and surfaces problems with how Google crawls, indexes, and serves it. It's first-party data straight from Google — but you don't need it to appear in results.

• “The imported sites will be automatically verified, eliminating the need for manual site verification steps.” — Bing Webmaster Blog. Jump to quote
• “Sign-in with your Google Search ConsoleA free Google service that reports how a site performs in Google Search and surfaces problems with how Google crawls, indexes, and serves it. It's first-party data straight from Google — but you don't need it to appear in results. account and click Allow to give Bing Webmaster ToolsThe free, first-party consoles search engines give site owners — Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools — to see how their pages are crawled, indexed, and ranked, and to fix problems. The legacy name is 'webmaster tools.' access to your list of verified sites and sitemapsA sitemap is a file that lists the pages, images, videos, and other files on your site so search engines can discover them. It helps discovery, but submitting a sitemap doesn't guarantee crawling or indexing..” — Bing Webmaster Blog. Jump to quote
• “It might take up to 48 hours to get traffic data for the newly verified websites.” — Bing Webmaster Blog. Jump to quote

Adaptive URL submission (the 10,000/day quota)

• “Today we are releasing the Adaptive URL submission feature that increases the daily quota by 1000x, allowing you to submit up to 10,000 URLs per day, with no monthly quotas.” — Bing Webmaster Blog. Jump to quote
• “The daily quota per site will be determined based on the site verified age in Bing Webmaster tool, site impressions and other signals that are available to Bing.” — Bing Webmaster Blog. Jump to quote

IndexNowIndexNow is an open push protocol that lets you instantly tell participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep) which URLs you've added, changed, or removed via a simple HTTP request — and one submission is shared across all of them. Google does not use it.

• “By allowing websites to instantly notify search engines of new, changed, and deleted content, IndexNow accelerates indexingStoring a crawled page in the search index so it can appear in results. Crawled is not the same as indexed — Google selects what to keep, and indexing isn't guaranteed. and reduces reliance on traditional crawl schedules.” — Bing Webmaster Blog. Jump to quote
• “Your submission will be shared across all IndexNow-enabled search engines.” — IndexNow.org FAQ. Jump to quote
• “Submitting a URL does not guarantee immediate indexingStoring a crawled page in the search index so it can appear in results. Crawled is not the same as indexed — Google selects what to keep, and indexing isn't guaranteed..” — IndexNow.org FAQ. Jump to quote

Bing Webmaster Tools setup checklist

A first-pass to get BWT working with the least friction:

• Sign in at Bing Webmaster ToolsThe free, first-party consoles search engines give site owners — Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools — to see how their pages are crawled, indexed, and ranked, and to fix problems. The legacy name is 'webmaster tools.' with a Microsoft account.
• Import your sites from Google Search ConsoleA free Google service that reports how a site performs in Google Search and surfaces problems with how Google crawls, indexes, and serves it. It's first-party data straight from Google — but you don't need it to appear in results. (auto-verified, up to 100 at once) — only verify manually (DNS / XML file / meta tag) if you can’t import.
• Give it up to 48 hours for traffic data to populate on newly verified sites.
• Submit your XML sitemapAn XML sitemap is a UTF-8 file listing the canonical URLs on your site (with optional lastmod) so search engines can discover and prioritize them. It's a discovery and diagnostic aid, not a guarantee of indexing — and Google ignores its priority and changefreq tags. under SitemapsA sitemap is a file that lists the pages, images, videos, and other files on your site so search engines can discover them. It helps discovery, but submitting a sitemap doesn't guarantee crawling or indexing..
• Turn on IndexNowIndexNow is an open push protocol that lets you instantly tell participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep) which URLs you've added, changed, or removed via a simple HTTP request — and one submission is shared across all of them. Google does not use it. (generate a key) so new and changed pages get pushed instantly — additive to your sitemapA sitemap is a file that lists the pages, images, videos, and other files on your site so search engines can discover them. It helps discovery, but submitting a sitemap doesn't guarantee crawling or indexing., not a replacement.
• Decide your submission approach: IndexNowIndexNow is an open push protocol that lets you instantly tell participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep) which URLs you've added, changed, or removed via a simple HTTP request — and one submission is shared across all of them. Google does not use it. on publish/update, manual URL Submission for one-offs, sitemaps for the full set.
• Review Crawl Control if bingbotBingbot is Microsoft Bing's primary web crawler — the bot that discovers, fetches, and renders pages to build the Bing index. That index also powers Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, and Microsoft Copilot, so Bingbot's reach is far wider than Bing's own search-market share. is crawlingCrawling is how search engines use automated bots (like Googlebot and Bingbot) to discover URLs and download pages. A page has to be crawlable to be indexed, but crawling on its own isn't a ranking factor. too aggressively (or not enough).
• Check the Backlinks report — and add a competitor domain to compare.
• Skim SEO Reports / site scan for flagged on-site issues.
• Remember: submission speeds discovery, not ranking, and never guarantees indexingStoring a crawled page in the search index so it can appear in results. Crawled is not the same as indexed — Google selects what to keep, and indexing isn't guaranteed..

The mental models

1. Add, don’t replace. Search ConsoleA free Google service that reports how a site performs in Google Search and surfaces problems with how Google crawls, indexes, and serves it. It's first-party data straight from Google — but you don't need it to appear in results. stays your authority for Google. BWT is an addition that earns its place on four things GSC can’t do — IndexNowIndexNow is an open push protocol that lets you instantly tell participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep) which URLs you've added, changed, or removed via a simple HTTP request — and one submission is shared across all of them. Google does not use it./instant submission, competitor backlink data, keyword volumes, and AI-search reach. Frame every “should I use Bing?” question around those four, not “more data is better.”

2. Discovery vs. ranking. IndexNowIndexNow is an open push protocol that lets you instantly tell participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep) which URLs you've added, changed, or removed via a simple HTTP request — and one submission is shared across all of them. Google does not use it. and URL submission move a page through discovery and recrawlCrawl frequency is how often a search engine comes back to re-fetch a page it already knows about. Popular pages that change often get refreshed many times a day; stable pages can go weeks or months between crawls — and you influence it indirectly, not by setting a dial. faster. They do nothing for ranking and don’t guarantee indexingStoring a crawled page in the search index so it can appear in results. Crawled is not the same as indexed — Google selects what to keep, and indexing isn't guaranteed.. Keep the two ideas separate or you’ll over-promise instant indexingStoring a crawled page in the search index so it can appear in results. Crawled is not the same as indexed — Google selects what to keep, and indexing isn't guaranteed. to yourself.

3. Ceiling vs. grant. The 10,000-URLs/day number is a ceiling allocated by site age, impressions, and other signals — not a flat allowance every site receives. Plan for less on a new or low-traffic site.

4. One ping, many engines. IndexNow is a shared protocol: submitting once notifies Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep. Google is deliberately not on that list, so IndexNow is never a Google indexing strategy.

5. Bing as an AI-search surface. Treat Bing’s index as infrastructure for Microsoft Copilot, not just blue links. Being indexed and ranking in Bing is part of your AI-visibility footprint.

Bing Webmaster Tools cheat sheet

BWT vs. Google Search ConsoleA free Google service that reports how a site performs in Google Search and surfaces problems with how Google crawls, indexes, and serves it. It's first-party data straight from Google — but you don't need it to appear in results.

Fast facts

• BWT is free; import verified sites from Search ConsoleGoogle's free tool for monitoring crawling, indexing, and search performance. (up to 100 at once).
• Adaptive URL submission ceiling: up to 10,000 URLs/day (set by site age + impressions).
• IndexNow notifies Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, Yep with one submission — not Google.
• Submission speeds discovery, not ranking, and doesn’t guarantee indexingStoring a crawled page in the search index so it can appear in results. Crawled is not the same as indexed — Google selects what to keep, and indexing isn't guaranteed..

Submit how?

• New/updated/deleted page → IndexNow (instant, multi-engine).
• A handful of one-off URLs → URL Submission.
• The full set, ongoing → XML sitemapAn XML sitemap is a UTF-8 file listing the canonical URLs on your site (with optional lastmod) so search engines can discover and prioritize them. It's a discovery and diagnostic aid, not a guarantee of indexing — and Google ignores its priority and changefreq tags..

Related tools

• Bing Webmaster ToolsThe free, first-party consoles search engines give site owners — Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools — to see how their pages are crawled, indexed, and ranked, and to fix problems. The legacy name is 'webmaster tools.' — the subject of this article; Microsoft’s free console for Bing search performance, indexingStoring a crawled page in the search index so it can appear in results. Crawled is not the same as indexed — Google selects what to keep, and indexing isn't guaranteed., backlinks, and keyword research.
• Google Search ConsoleA free Google service that reports how a site performs in Google Search and surfaces problems with how Google crawls, indexes, and serves it. It's first-party data straight from Google — but you don't need it to appear in results. — the peer you import from; keep it as your Google authority.
• IndexNowIndexNow is an open push protocol that lets you instantly tell participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep) which URLs you've added, changed, or removed via a simple HTTP request — and one submission is shared across all of them. Google does not use it. — the open push protocol BWT exposes; one submission notifies Bing and its partner engines.
• Bing Webmaster ToolsMicrosoft's free portal for monitoring and improving how a site appears in Bing search — the peer to Google Search Console, plus IndexNow instant indexing, richer backlink data, and keyword volumes. Because Bing's index also feeds Microsoft Copilot, it doubles as a window into AI-search visibility. API — programmatic URL submission and quota checks for larger sites and automation.
• Ahrefs Site Audit (IndexNowIndexNow is an open push protocol that lets you instantly tell participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep) which URLs you've added, changed, or removed via a simple HTTP request — and one submission is shared across all of them. Google does not use it. integration) — surfaces pages to submit to IndexNow and submits them with a click (the integration I helped ship).

Test yourself: Bing Webmaster Tools

Choose the right Bing submission path

Bing Webmaster Tools mistakes to avoid

Replacing Google Search ConsoleA free Google service that reports how a site performs in Google Search and surfaces problems with how Google crawls, indexes, and serves it. It's first-party data straight from Google — but you don't need it to appear in results. with BWT. Bing data explains Bing, not Google. Keep both consoles and assign each engine’s first-party data to the decisions it can actually support.

Treating IndexNowIndexNow is an open push protocol that lets you instantly tell participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep) which URLs you've added, changed, or removed via a simple HTTP request — and one submission is shared across all of them. Google does not use it. as instant ranking. A notification can speed discovery and recrawlCrawl frequency is how often a search engine comes back to re-fetch a page it already knows about. Popular pages that change often get refreshed many times a day; stable pages can go weeks or months between crawls — and you influence it indirectly, not by setting a dial.; it neither guarantees indexingStoring a crawled page in the search index so it can appear in results. Crawled is not the same as indexed — Google selects what to keep, and indexing isn't guaranteed. nor improves a page’s relevance. Fix the page and its crawlabilityCrawlability is how well search engine crawlers can discover, access, and fetch a site's pages. A crawlability issue is any technical condition — blocked access, broken links, server failures, or bloated URL inventory — that stops pages from reaching the index. instead of repeatedly pinging it.

Sending the whole sitemapA sitemap is a file that lists the pages, images, videos, and other files on your site so search engines can discover them. It helps discovery, but submitting a sitemap doesn't guarantee crawling or indexing. through IndexNowIndexNow is an open push protocol that lets you instantly tell participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep) which URLs you've added, changed, or removed via a simple HTTP request — and one submission is shared across all of them. Google does not use it. on every deploy. That creates noise and burns adaptive quota on unchanged URLs. Submit the stable inventory as a sitemapA sitemap is a file that lists the pages, images, videos, and other files on your site so search engines can discover them. It helps discovery, but submitting a sitemap doesn't guarantee crawling or indexing. and notify only new, updated, or deleted URLs.

Planning around 10,000 submissions as a guaranteed allowance. It is an adaptive ceiling, and a new property may receive less. Read the live quota and design the feed to prioritize genuine changes.

Assuming an accepted submission means the page is indexed. Acceptance proves the notification was received, not that Bing selected the URL. Follow up in URL InspectionA Google Search Console feature that reports how Google sees one specific URL on a property you own. By default it shows the last-indexed snapshot; a separate \"Test live URL\" mode fetches the current version. and fix crawl, canonical, quality, or duplication issues there.

Ignoring BWT because Bing traffic looks small in analytics. The free competitor backlink and keyword dataSearch volume, difficulty, and related queries for what people type into search engines. can still be useful, and Bing’s index supports Microsoft Copilot surfaces. Evaluate the incremental tasks it covers rather than traffic share alone.

Resources worth your time

My related work

• IndexNow at Ahrefs — the IndexNowIndexNow is an open push protocol that lets you instantly tell participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep) which URLs you've added, changed, or removed via a simple HTTP request — and one submission is shared across all of them. Google does not use it. + Yep integration I worked on, with the practical “pages to submit” workflow.
• Patrick Stox — author archive — more of my technical-SEO writing.

Industry coverage

• Bing Webmaster Tools allows verification via Google Search Console (Search Engine Land) — the GSCA free Google service that reports how a site performs in Google Search and surfaces problems with how Google crawls, indexes, and serves it. It's first-party data straight from Google — but you don't need it to appear in results. import launch.
• Bing allows submitting up to 10,000 URLs per day (Search Engine Journal) — the adaptive URL submission announcement.
• Bing lets webmasters submit 10,000 URLs per day (Search Engine Land) — SEL’s coverage of the same quota feature with additional context.
• IndexNow: what we know (Search Engine Journal) — a solid third-party explainer of the protocol.
• Bing Webmaster Tools gains IndexNow Insights + Top SEO Insights report (Search Engine Land) — coverage of BWT’s IndexNowIndexNow is an open push protocol that lets you instantly tell participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep) which URLs you've added, changed, or removed via a simple HTTP request — and one submission is shared across all of them. Google does not use it. reporting and SEO insights additions.
• What is Bing Webmaster Tools? (Ahrefs Glossary) — concise feature overview from an independent SEO tool perspective.

Bing Webmaster Tools

Microsoft's free portal for monitoring and improving how a site appears in Bing search — the peer to Google Search Console, plus IndexNow instant indexing, richer backlink data, and keyword volumes. Because Bing's index also feeds Microsoft Copilot, it doubles as a window into AI-search visibility.

Related: Search Engine Tools, Google Search Console, IndexNow

Bing Webmaster Tools

Bing Webmaster ToolsThe free, first-party consoles search engines give site owners — Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools — to see how their pages are crawled, indexed, and ranked, and to fix problems. The legacy name is 'webmaster tools.' (BWT) is Microsoft’s free service for tracking and improving how your site performs in Bing — the Microsoft equivalent of Google Search ConsoleA free Google service that reports how a site performs in Google Search and surfaces problems with how Google crawls, indexes, and serves it. It's first-party data straight from Google — but you don't need it to appear in results.. It reports your clicks, impressions, and positions in Bing, lets you inspect and submit URLs, explore your site and backlinks, and test robots.txtA plain-text file at the root of a host that tells crawlers which URLs they may and may not request. It controls crawling, not indexing — a blocked URL can still be indexed if it's linked from elsewhere. and structured dataStructured data is a standardized way of labeling page content (using the schema.org vocabulary in JSON-LD, Microdata, or RDFa) so search engines can understand its meaning. It's not a direct ranking factor — its value is rich results and entity understanding..

Its standout features versus Search ConsoleGoogle's free tool for monitoring crawling, indexing, and search performance. are IndexNowIndexNow is an open push protocol that lets you instantly tell participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam, and Yep) which URLs you've added, changed, or removed via a simple HTTP request — and one submission is shared across all of them. Google does not use it. and adaptive URL submission (push new, changed, and deleted pages to the indexStoring a crawled page in the search index so it can appear in results. Crawled is not the same as indexed — Google selects what to keep, and indexing isn't guaranteed. in near-real-time instead of waiting for a crawl), a far more generous backlinks report that even supports competitor comparison, built-in keyword research with search volumes, and a one-click import of your already-verified sites straight from Google Search ConsoleA free Google service that reports how a site performs in Google Search and surfaces problems with how Google crawls, indexes, and serves it. It's first-party data straight from Google — but you don't need it to appear in results..

Because Bing’s index underpins Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Search, ranking and being indexed in Bing increasingly matters for AI-answer surfaces too — so BWT is no longer just a “second search engine” dashboard.

Related: Search Engine Tools, Google Search Console, IndexNow

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